4 Steps to an Agile Transformation

I often find that people new to Agile have a tough time understanding that Agile processes are empirical and there really isn’t a one-size-fits-all model that will work for every organization. Scrum, XP, Crystal, Lean and other Agile methods all have their practices that provide guidance and tools but none of them are going to tell you the recipe for success.

This is one of many reasons why hiring an Agile Coach is a good idea. A good Agile Coach will practice what they preach and use these same methods to help with an Agile transformation. If we are talking the talk, it’s probably a good idea to walk the walk. For starters it shows you’re passionate about Agile and it proves you know the tools and how to apply them. It’s also a great opportunity to lead by example.

There is responsibility and “do’s and don’ts” on the part of the coach and the organization to work together towards an Agile transformation. Below are 4 simple steps with some tips that can serve as a guide for how to approach an Agile transformation. Again, there is no one-size-fits-all approach but there are some basic fundamentals and common sense practices I have found useful that I wanted to share.

Understand: How do you know if you need a hammer for the job if you don’t understand the task in front of you?

Coach:

understand why the organization wants/needs to adopt Agile practices

are they concerned about quality?

is their business in jeopardy and they fundamentally need to change how they operate?

are they simple tired of the status quo?

understand the current state of the organization:

how the organization is structured?

where is the support for transforming to Agile?

what’s the skillset like?

understand that the Agile transformation is about the organization, not you

Reflect: Use retrospectives extensively, and not just with the team(s). Retrospectives will help the teams with daily ‘in the trenches‘ work and they will help management and executives inspect and adapt on their transformation plan.

Coach:

this is a tough one, but be honest with yourself. Are you the right coach for this organization? Do you need help?

based on organization feedback, add new tools and practices as necessary to support these new learning opportunities

help the organization learn how to improve in small increments

Organization

try not to get overwhelmed, Agile tends to expose problems very quickly – use reflection to make small, incremental improvements and try to avoid the big-bang solution approach

be honest with yourself, don’t ignore the problems that surface, attack them

Rinse and repeat often. These 4 steps are cyclical. Reflection leads to a greater understanding which leads to new learning opportunities that will likely require different tactics during execution.